BJP fields eight candidates from Kashmir

Srinagar, August 26

In a bid to end party’s long drought in the Valley, the BJP has named eight candidates from Kashmir segments in its first list for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Monday.

The party had earlier announced that it would contest all seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, in the first phase, it has only named candidates from eight of the 16 seats that would go to polls on September 18.

According to the list, Arshad Bhat, who would be contesting his maiden elections in Kashmir, has been fielded from the Rajpora constituency. Before working behind the curtains for the BJP, the 34-year-old was running his own NGO. He officially joined the saffron party in December 2023. “I was not expecting to get a mandate. It has come as a surprise,” Bhat said.

Showkat Gayoor Andrabi would be contesting his first election from the Pampore segment. A former PDP member, Andrabi joined the BJP in 2022. He said that Kashmir had witnessed peace after a long time because of the BJP. “If you see the situation here, it is totally peaceful…so people are with the BJP,” he said.

Forty-year-old Javed Qadri has been fielded from the Shopian seat. He joined the party in 2012 when the BJP was not accepted in Kashmir. He unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections from Shopian in 2014, when he got over 4,000 votes.

“The BJP had great acceptance in Kashmir now. People are supporting the BJP’s schemes and I am sure I will win,” said Qadri, BJP district in-charge of Anantnag.

Rafiq Wani has secured the BJP ticket from Anantnag West. He is associated with the party since 2013, and had contested the 2014 Assembly poll on the BJP ticket as well.

Sofi Yusuf, one of the topmost BJP leaders in Kashmir, will be contesting against Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti from Srigufwara Anantnag seat. He had earlier contested from Pahalgam seat in 2014 polls but lost.

The BJP has allocated Shangus Anantnag East seat to Veer Saraf, who is a Kashmiri Pandit. Syed Wajahat a candidate for Anantnag Assembly seat is also associated with the BJP. Party’s Gujjar leader Chaudhary Roshan Gujjar has been named candidate from Kokernag seat, which is an ST reserved seat.